Inter Caste Wedding in India

The Hindu religion in India has various castes and sub-castes. There is social stratification and the communities are divided into higher castes and lower castes. To a person from another country, especially from the Europe or American continent, this demarcation will be a very strange one. The entire concept of high and low creates a superiority complex in certain communities. The Brahmin matrimony occupies the highest position in the social ladder. This is what I learnt being a non-Indian.

There are also low castes communities in India belonging to the Shudras. This community is further divided in various sub-groups and one such group commonly found in India is the Chamar caste. The Chamar caste is engaged in the profession of leather manufacturing and exports. When I attended the Jatav Matrimonial function to document the different forms of marriage taking place in India, I came to know some more of the Chamar community and the Jatav population in particular.

The Jatav people are one of the largest tribal populations in India. They are known by various names like Jatia or Jatba in the state of Jammu. The community members are settled in various parts of India, and have large concentration of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Eastern Rajasthan and North-West Madhya Pradesh. The community members also reside in the neighboring country of Nepal. Since they belong to the lowest strata in the Hindu social order, they are part of the Scheduled Castes in India. They are also known as Dalits.

Jatav Matrimonial functions and rituals vary from state to state. They mostly follow the Hindu matrimonial customs. The members of this community speak mostly Hindi and the dialect of the place. The wedding alliances earlier were within the community as there was social stigmatization and restriction. This trend is slowly changing as I found after attending this wedding. The groom is from the Jatav community whereas the bride belongs to higher caste Hindu. This is a heartening trend, which I hope catches with other Indians as well

Author: Shipra Sinha

All about the Latest Trends in Hindi Matrimony

Wedding keeps a significant importance in the lives of Indians. The Hindi matrimony is kind of a very elaborate affair, because of the rituals and customs involved. In a Hindu wedding, accurate and purest forms of rituals are involved. Every single detail is very considerate in a wedding, including the dress of the bride and groom.

In Northern India, the brides generally drape heavy silk saris or lehengas, and the choice of colour depends upon the bride’s preferences, and most importantly, the colour which suits her complexion and personality. In recent times, the brides have been choosing the colours according to the wedding themes. However, the most popular ones have always been scarlet red, fuchsia pink, green, golden and silver. The combinations of these colours have also been popular, and can charm anyone.

The trousseau of grooms has no longer been simple these days. The grooms these days love to wear designer suits, Indo-western suits or sherwanis. A beautiful pair of designer shoes goes very well with these designer dresses, which depend on the type of the dress the groom is planning to wear. With Sherwanis, traditional Mojris go well.

The wedding among the Hindu communities has no longer been conservative nowadays. The bride and groom prepare months before the wedding day, and start shopping for their desirable things to make this day memorable.

For a hassle-free wedding, some families also call up wedding planners for excellent wedding arrangements, and the wedding is arranged according to a particular theme. The most popular themes these days are floral themes, color themes, some dressing theme, or any other. The planners make it easy for the families to celebrate wedding and enjoy the day to the fullest. However, the ways to celebrate a wedding in Hindi matrimony may change, but the wedding involves the purest form of rituals.

Author: Rashmi Karan

Traditional Outlook of a Hindu Matrimonial

If you are belong to the Hindu religion and want to celebrate your wedding according to the defined Hindu rituals, you can have the chance to get married surrounded by colors and symbols. The rituals and wedding rites are very sacred in every religion, and similar is the case with the Hindu religion.

One of the most interesting rituals in the Hindu matrimonial is the Mehendi ceremony, where intricate patterns of henna are designed on the hands and feet of the bride in order to decorate her body. This is believed to bring good luck and remove the bad omen. The mehendi ceremony is generally celebrated at bride’s home and is accompanies by sangeet, where women of the family sing wedding sons to bless the newlyweds. The family and friends of the bride accompany her during these interesting rituals. Most of the families call professionals who excel in the art of applying mehendi.

The costumes are an important part in the Hindu matrimonial, the bride generally wears a red sari or lehenga, which is embroidered with threads of gold and the bride, is then beautifully decorated. Some ofther colours which are also popular among Hindu bride are pink, yellow, orange, green, blue, Fuchsia, etc. The bride is made to wear lots of jewellery and is beautifully decorated. The groom also wears a heavily embroidered kurta, which is known as Sherwani. During the wedding, the guests also get dressed in bright colours to show their happiness to the couple.

The marriages are accomplished in exotic settings in the Hindu matrimony, known as Mandaps. The bride, groom, and their family and friends unite to bless the newlyweds. The bride and groom are presented with the wedding gifts, which are generally stuff that can be helpful for their future.

Hindu Marriage for Vaidiki Brahmins

Marriages in India differ in rituals and customs for the various religions. India is multi-diverse country, with all the major religions of the world co-existing in harmony. Religions like Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Islam have a good population. Hinduism has its roots in India and majority of the population India are followers of this religion. The religion is one of the oldest religions known to humankind and has written rules and regulations on life, birth, marriage and death. Hindu Marriage rules and regulations are prescribed in the ancient texts and manuscripts.

The Hindu Matrimonial alliances are fixed after consultation of horoscopes. Caste and community background are other important factors while fixing a Hindu Marriage. There are four major groups in Hinduism and Brahmin occupy the highest caste order. Under the Brahmin, there are many sub-groups like the Smartha or Advaitic Brahmins, Ambalavasi Brahmins, Vaidiki Brahmins, Sarola Brahmins, Koti Brahmin, Shivalli Smartha Brahmins, Maharashtrian Devrukhe Brahmins, Sthanika Brahmins and Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins.

Some Brahmin communities in India are region based and one such community is that of Vaidiki Brahmins. The Vaidiki Brahmins are originally from Andhra Pradesh. The community members speak Telugu. Some members have also migrated to the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. It is said that the members have mastered the Hindu texts, Vedas. The Vaidiki Brahmin community members are further divided into sub sects such as Adisaivulu, Dravidulu, Edavalu, Kasalnatlu, Murikinatlu, Karanakammalu, Mulakanatlu, Saivulu, Telaganyulu, Vaishnavulu, Veginatlu and Velanatlu.

Some more well-known regional Brahmin communities in India are Iyengar Brahmins, Dvaitic Brahmins Madhwa Kannada Brahmin, Shivalli Brahmins, Kanyakubja Brahmin, Bengali Vaid Brahmin, Maithil Brahmin and Telugu Madhwa Brahmin. These communities follow the Hindu Marriage rules and regulations. The matrimonial rituals differ from state to state though the wedding mantras are recited in Sanskrit.

Author: Shipra Sinha

The New Set of Rules of a Hindu Marriage

The Hindu Marriage customs in India has undergone a sea change and new rules and regulations have come up. In the ancient days, matrimonial relationships were considered sacred and were more of union of two souls. The concept of seven lives of unity between a man and woman existed and couples happily believed in this theory, as mentioned in the Hindu texts and manuscripts.

With the changing mindset of couples and the fast and busy lives, the theory of seven lives in unison is just a mere theory. The sacredness of the matrimonial relationship is giving way to more complex form of matrimony. Earlier, the woman was the dutiful wife at home performing household duties and the man took care of earning money. The modern Hindu man and woman believe in sharing responsibilities, and not just are confined to any fixed roles. The customs are still there in a Hindu Matrimonial but a legal aspect is also adding to the matrimonial celebrations.

The Indian constitution has incorporated detailed guidelines on the various aspects of Hindu Marriage. There are a set of laws and regulations pertaining to the Hindus communities in case of any unpleasant happenings between the couple. The Government of India has set up the ‘Hindu Marriage Act’, which came into effect on 18 May in the year 1955.

According to the guidelines mentioned in the Hindu Marriage Act, there is a fixed marriage age for the girls and boys. Earlier, girls were married very young and did not had any formal education. The government has fixed the age of marriage at 18 for girls. In case of boys, the marriageable age is 21.

Another ancient custom, polygamy and bigamy prevalent in the Hindu community are not permitted. The Hindu Marriage Act prohibits such a practice and it is punishable under law. In addition, the seven lives theory of ancient Hindu marriage is only in texts. The government allows divorces to couples on several grounds related to cruelty, adultery or unsound mind. It is also mandatory for any Hindu Marriage to register under law.

Author: Shipra Sinha

The Resplendent Bridal Attire of a Hindi Matrimony Ceremony

Hindi Matrimonial communities hail from the regions, which has Hindi as one of the main languages spoken on a day-to-day basis. Besides Hindi, the community members also speak local dialects of the region. Like for the state of Uttar Pradesh, the dialects are Awadhi, Bagheli, Bundeli, Bhojpuri, Braj Bhasha and Khari boli. The Hindi Matrimony events follow traditional customs and rituals. Most of the communities in the Hindi speaking states of India are Hindus and have similar rites of marriage.

There are many rituals before the actual day of wedding in a Hindu marriage function. On the wedding day, most of the brides wear traditional Indian bridal attire. Brides from the region of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi wear lehengas. Lehengas are three-piece bridal sets worn by the Indian brides. The choli is the blouse, the lehenga is the long skirt and the dupatta is stole covering the head.

The Hindi Matrimonial bridal lehengas are available in wide-ranging colors and designs. Shades of red, crimson, orange, pink, blue and green are very popular among the brides. The wedding lehenga sets have rich embroidery in golden and silver threads. Most of the bridal attire is heavily embroidered with intricate patterns and motifs on the dupatta and lehengas.

The lehengas are also available in different kind of fabrics like silk, crepe, chiffon, georgette and brocade. The usual ones have gold thread work all over. Some lehengas are adorned with semi precious stones and are very expensive. In addition, the design and the cut differ and woman of all body types can have one according to their liking.

Apart from the lehenga sets, some Hindi Matrimonial brides also wear saris. Saris are all time favorite wear of Indian women. There are many types of bridal saris available in the market. Earlier, brides wore silk saris with rich work on their day of wedding. Changing tastes and preferences of the modern bride also changed the look of bridal saris. The bridal saris are available in lighter and shimmering fabric with intricate embroidery on the pallu and blouse. The brides prefer red and maroon colors, though shades of pink, blue, gold and yellow are also in great demand.

Author: Shipra Sinha